THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT: & OTHER WHIMSICAL MOMENTS — A REVIEW

It is a warm summer night on a rural road in North Carolina when two women are stranded on the side of a road with a flat tire. While bravely trying to change it, another woman comes along and offers to help. Once the car is repaired, the three of them take off. Even though two of them are running from something unspoken, while the third one also seems secretive and frightened. But what better bond can there be? The quirky trio continue on their journey–oh, and one of them is wearing a wedding dress.

This set up immediately grabbed my attention. We learn through dialogue that the first two, Lana and Tracee, have been best friends for a long time. The third woman, slightly older, is less forthcoming, except with the occasional pearls of wisdom that lend a certain aura to her.

Suddenly the car veers off and hits something. Unable to move it or restart it, they walk toward a building they see in the distance. An apparently abandoned building, where they seek shelter. But on the first morning, they discover that another resident looms nearby, albeit in a cage. A lion. Hence the name of the strange club: The Lion.

Meanwhile, their car has been towed to nearby Fairville, and a deal is struck up with the owner for auto repairs.

From here the story gets even more intriguing, and we meet a few more characters. Like the owner of the bar and a young man who works there. And somehow the women have convinced the man to let them work there, too, and the younger man finds them a room nearby.

As we watch the three of them bond through their need and their secrets, we also slowly view some of those dark corners of their minds. Lana is volatile with addiction issues; Tracee has been abandoned one too many times and is a kleptomaniac; and Rita is running from a tyrannical husband who has persuaded her of her worthlessness for too many years.

How do the three of them begin to connect to this time and place? How does the lion, Marcel, play a huge role in what happens to them in the upcoming weeks? And how will everything seemingly come crashing down around them, forcing them to make untenable choices?

I have been a big fan of the author and her sisters over the years, and this quirky tale was no exception. At times I really did not like Lana or Tracee. Their immaturity and melodramatic acting out were annoying. But beneath this behavior lurked those secrets from the past. My favorite character, of course, was Rita, along with Marcel. They were a duo to be reckoned with. Themes of friendship, betrayal, and secrets loomed in The Lion is In, along with the unexpected and whimsical aspects. Four stars.

LIFE AMONGST THE SUPERMOMMIES — A REVIEW

Kate Klein loved her Manhattan lifestyle: the energy, the neighborhoods, her career.

So how did she end up, almost accidentally, in suburban Upchurch, Connecticut, with the perfect mothers who congregate in the playground? Nothing she does comes out quite right, and, of course, she doesn’t have the perfectly toned body or the right clothes. Not to mention her three stair step kids take every ounce of her energy.

However, next door neighbor Kitty Kavanaugh has invited her over to talk one day. Thrilled, Kate is eager to find out why…only to stumble upon Kitty’s murdered body in the kitchen. The trauma of that event, plus her natural curiosity, lead Kate into a quest to find the murderer. After all, the cops in Upchurch don’t seem too eager to solve this case.

As soon as the gossip mongers shout out that Kitty was the ghostwriter for a popular columnist/TV star, the questions swirl around. And Kate wonders if some kind of rivalry between the two is at the heart of this murder.

Then she wonders: why did Kitty always have an older man in her corner, especially since gifts and goodies seemed to follow? Why is there so little information about her life before Upchurch? And what secrets and lies hide behind the perfect facades in this suburban enclave?

Meanwhile, Kate’s husband Ben seems to be sabotaging her efforts, while old friend (and hottie) Evan McKenna is all too eager to lend a hand. BFF Janie Segal adds fun to the dialogues, as well as providing a polished counterpart for the klutzy Kate. A fun read that literally kept me awake at night, Goodnight Nobody was another fabulous creation from Weiner, to which I must give five stars.

EVERYONE DESERVES A HAPPY ENDING — A REVIEW

 

 

In a world of “happily ever after,” there might just be more to the story.

Or so Delilah believes when her strange obsession with a fairytale turns into something totally unexpected. First of all, what fifteen-year-old girl reads fairytales, she wonders? But in a world where she doesn’t quite fit in, Delilah has found her niche with this particular book and feels a special connection to the character of Prince Oliver. So when one day she hears his voice, and begins an ongoing dialogue with him, everything changes. Especially when Oliver asks her to help him escape from the pages.

Between the Lines is a fast paced story that leads the reader into the imaginary world of a book within the book, narrated by Oliver, followed by Delilah’s perspective. We get to see how each of them are inexplicably drawn to each other and the “ever after” they have envisioned.

How do Oliver and Delilah accomplish the impossible task? What unexpected twists does their story take in their effort to spring Oliver from the book? And why does Delilah end up on Cape Cod meeting someone who is surprising and crucial to bringing the story to its rightful conclusion?

I wasn’t at all sure that I would enjoy this book, as I’m not a YA fan. But I did like that I could suspend my disbelief just enough to feel empathy for the characters—both the ones in the fairytale and those in the “real” world part of the book. I would recommend it for young people who are struggling with issues of not fitting in, as well as anyone who enjoys a good unexpected tale. Four stars.

COZY SETTINGS & SCENES: A REVIEW — AUGUST 28

As a fan of Meryl Streep and all of her movies, I just knew that I would thoroughly enjoy The Meryl Streep Movie Club.

From the very first page, I felt swept up into the lives of the characters, beginning with Lolly, who owns an inn in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and circling out to include her daughter Kat and nieces Isabel and June.

What started as a tragedy many years before comes full circle when Lolly calls everyone home to Boothby Harbor at an unexpected time: a time that wasn’t a holiday. A call to the troops for an announcement.

The gathering came at a time in each of their lives when nothing felt certain. Isabel’s marriage is falling apart; June feels a hole in her heart left by the mysterious departure of her lover seven years before; and Kat has to decide what to do with the rest of her life.

After the announcement and what follows, with each of them staying on at the inn, I especially enjoyed the movie nights, and how the themes of Meryl Streep movies helped each of them sort out their issues.

Like a cozy quilt, I felt encircled by the warmth of the “club,” just as the characters did; and I started a small stack of my own Meryl Streep DVDs to enjoy afterwards. A cozy family story that will appeal to anyone who has ever had to make hard choices, as well as anyone who is a fan of Meryl Streep. Four stars.

CONFRONTING THE PAST — A REVIEW

Sometimes the accidents in life turn out to be the start of unlikely relationships, old and new.

Marian Caldwell, New York producer of a hit show, thinks that her life is just about perfect. Great boyfriend, great career, and beautiful East Side apartment. And then one day, the past stands before her in the form of Kirby, an eighteen-year-old who holds the key to the secrets she has held tight within.

How will the secrets of the past inform the present? The future? In alternating voices, Marian and Kirby share their stories, and as we come to know them with all their secrets, emotions, hopes and dreams, we feel the poignancy of their lives and root for them to find out just where they belong.

My favorite characters were Conrad and Kirby. Who knew that these two would be like two sides of a coin?

All through Where We Belong, I wondered how the characters’ lives would change, and whether or not these changes would bring them that elusive thing they’d been missing.

Emily Giffin can be counted on to show us the complexities of relationships while she is spotlighting how the issues her characters address can bring them full circle, until they are finally facing what they could not accept. The past. And how the past does not have to bring only pain, but can unexpectedly bring joy. Five stars.

THE CHARM OF SMALL TOWN LIFE WEARS THIN — A REVIEW

Lily Davis, single mom and Manhattan dweller, is worried about her teen son. On impulse, she moves them to Sakonnet Bay, a picturesque town on the Long Island Coast. She hopes that small town life will be simpler, calmer, and will keep her son safer.

Renting a house, finding a job, and merging their lives with other villagers happens seamlessly. But just when Lily thinks that everything is going great, a series of incidents, beginning with a freaky dog bite, catapult her life into a complex drama. Suddenly she is reminded of everything she enjoyed most in Manhattan.

But because she also likes the quirky charm of the town, and has a new best friend, she hangs in. And her interest is piqued by a handsome cop who has his own appeal and helps her want to stay.

But when things start to heat up, and when a murder investigation, along with the irate protesters who are fighting about the deer in the village, bring Lily and her column into the center of it all, she begins to wonder if everything she has done lately was a big mistake.

In the process of sorting it all out, what will Lily learn about herself, her son, and what she needs? How will the gossip mill help turn the tide for her and lead to some defining moments?

The narration was fun and quirky; there were enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep me turning pages; but other aspects of the book just didn’t live up to my hopes. I would recommend it for those who enjoy a light read with funny dialogue, but don’t expect Ephron’s trademark style in Big City Eyes. I’m giving this one 3.5 stars.

BITTERSWEET TALE OF LOVE, LOSS, DUTY, & DESTINY — A REVIEW

 

 

In the opening pages, Christopher Andersen’s After Diana: William, Harry, Charles, and the Royal House of Windsor describes the moments after the fatal crash on August 31, 1997. He then moves on to detail the events in the ensuing years, providing a portrait of a woman, her sons, and the monarchy as it moved into the twenty-first century.

Occasionally moving backward into the years when Shy Di first burst upon the scene, we come to see a “fleshed out” picture of the woman who would forever change the royals in subtle ways.

Their mother’s tragic and much-publicized death came at a time when her two sons were very vulnerable to her loss. Approaching adolescence, the heightened visibility of their lives “after” resulted in much tabloid footage that showed them each, but especially Harry, as “spoiled party animals.”

Without their mother’s influence, and with the kind of detached parenting provided by Prince Charles, the Heir and the Spare did go through a lot during those years. But as time passed, and as they gained some maturity, there was evidence of her imprint, in that “both William and Harry were taking on many of the causes she had championed, and finding some of their own.”

I enjoyed this chronicle of life in the royal family, and how Diana’s influence still lingers. I also liked discovering a bit more about Camilla than I had previously known. She worked hard to overcome being the “most hated woman in England” after Diana’s death.

Since this book was published in 2007, much in recent history was obviously uncovered. However, there were already hints of the William and Kate coupling…which was fun to see in its beginning stages.

In the end, I liked this summing up, when describing Diana in her final conscious moments: “…What would she (Diana) have thought if, by some miracle, she could have opened her eyes ten years later? True, it would have been hard to see Camilla replace her as a Princess of Wales destined to become Queen—harder still to see Camilla step into the role of stepmother to her two boys.

“There is much about the changed world of the royals, however, that almost certainly would have pleased Diana. The Princess had fought to humanize the monarchy, to replace frosty hauteur with self-deprecating laughter, aloofness with compassion, and soul-deadening inertia with change. As history’s renegade Princess, she paid a heavy price for trying to drag the Royal Family, kicking and screaming, into the twenty-first century. Diana was betrayed by her husband, ostracized by the Royal Family, spied upon by powers both foreign and domestic, and hounded by the same voracious media that had made her the world’s most idolized human being.”

Between the beginning and the end of this book, there were also wonderfully entertaining details about the daily lives and rituals of the royals. Totally captivating, and worth four stars.

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PURSUING HAPPINESS FROM OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS — A REVIEW

The two of them were polar opposites: Blake was a handsome, rich rogue who loved to play, while Maxine was a renowned psychiatrist called in to assist with traumatized and suicidal adolescents.

Despite their differences, they loved one another, had three beautiful children, and then divorced. Their differences finally did them in.

It would be many years before Maxine would try again, but Blake moved seamlessly through his jet-setting world with gorgeous women on his arm. None of them lasted, though.

Maxine’s romance with internist Charles West seemed like the perfect match. They had much in common, they were both grown-ups, and the only obstacles seemed to be her three children and her ex-husband.

Rogue is a charming tale of romantic adventures gone wrong, a world filled with beautiful people and beautiful places, and what can happen when two people pursue happiness from opposite directions.

So what catastrophic event will change Blake in a major way? And how will Charles react to the ever-present shadow of a charming ex? What do the three children bring to the mix? And how will unexpected events upend the lives of these characters?

Despite the predictability of a good part of the plot, I enjoyed this story more than many by this author. I liked the characters and the storyline that delved into psychiatric issues, catastrophic natural disasters, while balancing these themes with just the right touch of glamour to make the story feel like both a humanitarian junket and a red carpet event. Funny and charming dialogue at key points along the way made this story a quick and fun read. I’m giving this one four stars.

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A TENDER & ROMANTIC REUNION — A REVIEW

At seventeen, Marni Lange fell in love with a very handsome young man during a summer in Maine. The romance was cloaked in secrecy, which added to the pain and guilt she suffered after a tragedy that abruptly ended the relationship.

Fourteen years later, Marni is the CEO of the family corporation, poised to launch a very special magazine. And who should show up as the photographer hired by her publishing division? None other than “Web,” now known by his full name of Brian Webster.

What follows is a story that might seem predictable, but that brings to it the conflicts, obstacles, and finally, a resolution that was denied the two of them years before.

While First, Best and Only had very little in the way of a plot, the romance was portrayed beautifully. The settings were gorgeously described and the reader could feel herself right in the midst of it all. Enjoyable story that earned three stars from me. Not Delinsky’s best work, but a sweet tale nonetheless.

GUIDED BY THE LIGHT — A REVIEW

When “bad boy” Jonathan Randall fakes his and his daughter’s death in Springfield, he is protecting his daughter from her great-grandfather Alan Spaulding. The wealthy billionaire is convinced that Sarah Randall is his to raise.

Reva Shayne, Jonathan’s mother, has her own need to protect them both. She believes she could have done more to protect Jonathan as a child. She knows that Jonathan and Sarah are on the run, and they keep in touch via a prearranged set of signals.

Tammy Winslow, Jonathan’s wife and love, died at the hand of Alan Spaulding, when he was trying to kill Jonathan. So her spirit is guiding him and Sarah as they journey away from the threat that stalks them.

In this captivating spin-off from Guiding Light, the now defunct soap opera, Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story provides a glimpse of the life lived by the presumed dead Jonathan, and how he finally starts to move on from the past.

In Tourmaline, California, Jonathan starts to think that he may have found a place to finally settle down. And the gorgeous Aubrey Cross seems like a kindred spirit and someone who can help him do that. But just as they finally begin to trust in one another, a dark and ominous presence hovers over them in the form of her abusive father, Sheriff Zeke Cross. How did Zeke find the evidence he needed in order to maintain control over Aubrey? How will he use Jonathan’s secrets to betray him?

I loved the soap Guiding Light, and when this book was published, it was still a viable series. I loved reading the book and discovering Jonathan’s journey into the light of his future with his new love. I felt as though the characters were real, since I watched them on the show for many years. I would recommend this book to anyone who ever enjoyed the soap, as well as others who love a good romantic suspense tale. Five stars.